Jaishankar Reaffirms ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy Amid Global Volatility, Warns of “Weaponisation of Everything”

India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar on Monday reiterated New Delhi’s “neighbourhood first” policy while warning that the world is becoming increasingly volatile and competitive.

“There is rising anti-globalisation sentiment in many societies. Trade calculations are being overturned by tariff volatility,” Jaishankar said, in a veiled reference to US President Donald Trump’s protectionist “America First” trade policies.

“India has to be the go-to option for any crisis in this subcontinent,” he added, describing the current era as one marked by the “weaponisation of everything.”

His remarks come as India faces new tariffs from the US and heightened instability in its neighbourhood — with strained ties with Pakistan and political unrest in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

“All nations face predicaments. India has to strategise and continue rising amid such volatility,” Jaishankar said, a day after asserting that India would only enter trade deals with the US if its “red lines” — particularly the protection of its farm and dairy sectors — were respected.

“The strategic diminishing of India as a result of Partition has to be overcome,” the minister said, speaking at the Aravalli Summit on ‘India and the World Order: Preparing for 2047’ at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), his alma mater.

Reflecting on global trends, he said the balance is shifting away from cooperation toward greater competition. “From India’s perspective, the driving forces of demand, demographics, and data will propel its rise. We have to create ideas, terminologies, and narratives for our journey to 2047,” he added, according to PTI.

Jaishankar concluded by stressing the importance of safeguarding national interests while advancing India’s position in the evolving global hierarchy.